Samsung Galaxy S4 pranked by LG in brazen billboard banter

LG has erected a parody advert atop a teaser poster for the Samsung Galaxy S4, using the wave of hype surrounding Samsung's next mobile to promote its existing phone! Lawks, what a wizard wheeze!

The mischievous mobile-maker bought the billboard space above Samsung's portentous 'Be ready 4 the next Galaxy' poster in New York's Times Square, crafting a near-identical advert that reads, "LG Optimus G is here 4 you now!" shortly before stuffing Samsung's shirt with itching powder and loosening the tops on its salt shakers.

The cheeky stunt was tweeted by a PR bod kenhong@LG, and is a brash attempt on LG's part to promote its own Optimus G smart phone alongside the next Galaxy smart phone, which has the attention of the world's press.

LG would probably have been better off stretching cellophane over Samsung's toilet, as the Optimus G isn't on sale in the UK, although LG has promised it would be getting a release outside of the US, Canada, Korea and Japan, where it's currently on sale.

Placing a bucket of water on top of Samsung's door would also have been a craftier move, as LG has recently topped the Optimus G with its own Optimus G Pro. The G Pro is a 5-inch, 1080p smart phone with a 1.7GHz quad-core processor -- similar specs to those we're expecting to see in the Galaxy S4.

I do enjoy seeing enormous corporations vying desperately for the attention of ordinary shoppers. Can you think of an instance where one company has successfully parodied, lampooned or otherwise pulled the leg of a rival? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.